Lesson Plan Reflection

I field tested a lesson plan on the Articles of Constitution that lasted roughly an hour. For this field test I was able to work with the same I did for the pre-assessment field test.

To begin the lesson, I opened with quickly explaining the reasons why the Founding Fathers decided they needed a Constitution: the need to collect taxes, build and army, avoid a tyrant ruler or rulers, etc. Originally this should have been a pre-assessment reviewing what had been covered in a previous lesson. However, since I had not given a lesson prior to this one I opted to just quickly summarize what would have been the pre-assessment.

We then proceeded to the main activity of the lesson. I passed out a handout that summarized each article, including brief accounts of each section. I told them we would be reading each one as a class and that I would comment on the the important points. They were expected to annotate and highlight as we moved along. Students volunteered to read each Article, and then I would make sure to highlight the important points. As ongoing assessment I would ask students what each Article had covered (i.e. Article I covers the Legislative Branch). I work closely with these students as their Academic League coach, so they were very responsive and I had no issues with keeping them engaged.

One thing I made sure to do was to try to connect the material with current events. One example of that was when we read about Article II which gives the president the power to appoint government officials, like Supreme Court justices. I explained to them how President Obama had already appointed a replacement for the deceased Justice Scalia, but the Senate has refused to approve or reject his appointee. That is probably one of the things I enjoyed the most with this lesson. Although, the Constitution is over 200 years old, it is obviously still important in our lives today. I loved talking to my students about those connections.

I would improve this lesson by including a visual presentation along with the reading. We would still read through each Article, but having the visual presentation on the screen could help visual learner and even English learners. Additionally, I learned that students really like small rewards like candy for correct answers. That was their one suggestion when I asked of they had any suggestions for me.

As I write this reflection I realize I am already beginning to think of different ways do the same lesson so different students can benefit. I am beginning to realize that experience is the ultimate teacher. Not all my first lessons will be winners, but I know each one will get better insofar as I take the time to reflect and improve.

End of Course Reflection

As this course comes to an end, it is time to reflect on what I have learned this past month. One thing in particular that I have learned is that instruction needs to be engaging and collaborative in order to be effective. What comes to people's minds when they think of a history classroom? Some might say boring textbooks and boring lectures on dead people. This course has helped me to think of ways to change that perception. I want my future students to feel their history class was engaging and fun. Collaborative learning is essential in a history class. Working together and talking to each other helps students express their views and learn from the perspective of others. Students should also be given the opportunity to be creative in the way they demonstrate their knowledge.

Additionally, I have also learned that effective teaching requires thorough planning. We must be prepared for each lesson before any students walk in through our door. Lesson plans will not always be perfect so at times we might have to think on our toes and adjust as necessary. A thoroughly thought out lesson plan will help ensure unforeseen circumstances stay at a minimum. As mentioned in my pre-assessment reflection, teaching is a continuous learning experience that never ceases.

Field Testing a Pre-Assessment

The pre-assessment I decided to field test was a writing activity on individual rights. I was able to work with eleven students: eight freshmen, one sophomore, and two juniors. To begin the pre-assessment I wrote on the board, "What freedoms or rights do you think you have in this country?" I instructed students to write their thoughts, and that they had about five minutes to do so. As I was doing so, I thought it might be interesting to also have them write about any rights they felt they did not have in this country. Therefore, I wrote down the second question on the board and told my students to make sure they answered the second question as well. 

Immediately after I had written both questions, students started asking me if I meant their rights at their current age, or if they should think of their rights if they were legally adults. At this point I realized and had not really thought this through thoroughly enough. I was stumped for a second and ultimately decided that they should write about their rights at their current age. Once that had been settled, my students got busy with their writing while I kept track of time. At the end of about five minutes I asked the students to finish up their last thoughts. Then, I instructed them to pair up and share with their partner what they had written. Following their one-on-one discussions I asked for their attention back to the front so we could discuss their answers as a class.

For the class discussion I asked my students to share with the us what was something their partner shared with them that they thought was interesting or they liked. Most of them had similar answers. Many of them stated what we know to be some of our basic rights that they would have learned if we had moved on to a full lesson on the Bill of Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, etc. The consensus among all of them seemed to be that they had the freedom to do almost anything, as long as it was legal. Then, one students brought up a very interesting point. She said she had, "...the right to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance, despite various teacher's opinions." I thought this was a very interesting point so we talked about it a little bit more. This is especially true with the current events in our country. None of them had actually tried to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance, but they all believed there would be some teachers that would definitely discipline them if they did try to exercise their right not to.  What did they not believe they had the right or freedom to do in this country? Well, their answers were all pretty much the same. The majority, if not all, stated they did not have the right to vote or drive yet because of their age. Some also mentioned they did not have the right to drink, also because of their age.

To conclude, I learned thorough planning is needed to execute a pre-assessment, or a lesson in general, to its best potential. I realize not everything can be planned perfectly. However, we have to be ready to think on our toes and adjust our lessons on the spot if needed. If I were to do this pre-assessment again I would definitely make sure that I was more specific with what I am asking my students to write about. I would also adjust the time allotted for the group and class discussions, depending on how valuable the discussions turn out to be. There were some good points brought up by my students that probably merited more time to discuss. However, as teachers we must also make sure we are using our time efficiently so that we can cover all the necessary material and not fall behind. I enjoyed this field experience because it gave me some insight on how students think, and how even when we think we have all our bases covered something comes up that needs to be addressed. Now more than ever I truly believe teaching is an ongoing learning experience that never ends. There is something to be learned from each activity of each day in the classroom!

Analysis of Content Area Teaching and Assessment Strategies

Practicality of each day:

The unit plan seems to have a practical approach for each day of the week. It allows time for students to work independently as well as in groups. There is direct instruction expected on must days, but the teacher will be supplementing their lecture by showing the students videos that are related to the material of each day.

Coherence of content throughout the unit plan:

In regards to coherence, I found this unit plan to be a bit flawed. The content to be taught each day are in the following order: Mining Booms and Boom Towns, Ranchers and Farmers, Railroads Lead the Way, Native American Struggles, and Farmers in Protests. Personally, I do not think I would follow that order. I would have preferred to teach about the railroads on the second day, then introduce ranching and farming on day three in order to smoothly move into farmers’ protests in day 4.

Meeting Standards:

This unit plan also seemed to not be properly meet the standards it stated with some of its planned lessons. Day 1 and Day 3 are the two lessons that do not seem to align properly with their stated standards. In Day 1, the planned activities and the stated learner outcomes focus on the influence mining had on westward expansion. However, the provided standard requires the content to cover the influence the government had on encouraging people to move westward. I took the time to listen through the video that goes along with that day’s lesson and it also failed to meet the provided standard. Day 3’s given standards were even more confusing because I am not sure what the railroads’ role in westward expansion have to do with the enumerated and implied power of the federal government or the Articles of Confederation, at least not within the context of this unit plan. The learner outcomes do not seem to bridge the correlation between the standards and each day’s learning activities.

Meeting English Language Learners’ needs:

Some of the incorporated teaching strategies and activities are helpful in meeting ELL needs. The provided vocabulary lists are very helpful when provided prior to the reading assignment so the students can learn those vocabulary words ahead of the reading and then they can make better sense of them within the context of the reading. Videos, cooperative learning, and the use or organizers like the Venn diagram are also helpful in meeting ELL needs. The Day 4 review of content is also beneficial to ELLs, although it is really beneficial for all students.

Differentiation:

The unit plan allows for some differentiation in instruction. Most days seem to have a lecture presentation involved, but they are usually supplemented with a video or the remainder of the day most likely involves some cooperative learning that helps students of all levels. In terms of differentiating assessment, there was some differentiation, but most involved writing and maybe some class discussions. I would also add that providing the reading list for the week can help students of all levels. For advanced learners, they may decide to read ahead since they know what they are expected to read through the week.

High and Low Points:

There were two particular teaching strategies in this unit plan that I really liked. The first was the pre-assessments that involved the journal writing. I was a particular fan of this pre-assessment because it asked students to write about what they think or would do in a similar life situation as that of the people that were moving westward in the historical time period being covered in this unit. The other aspects of this unit plan that I really liked was the one of the post-assessments asked students to write a reflection or summary, and it required them to use a new vocabulary word they learned. Applying new vocabulary to their writing helps them further their knowledge retention and understand the material better.

To me, the low points on this unit plan were the misalignment of standards to each day’s lesson and the order in which each MCA was scheduled to be taught. As explained in the coherence section of this assignment, I would have preferred to teach the MCA involved the farmers in two consecutive days. This unit plan did not do that. It instead had two lessons on separate MCAs in between the two. Lastly, there were some days that had a misalignment between the learner outcomes and the provided standards. It is important that the learner outcomes align with the expected standards in order to ensure all students are learning what they are expected to learn.

Personality and Teaching & Learning Styles

I will be honest... the personality types that I got from the test links in the course had me as an ESFP or ESFJ. However, I had taken a Briggs-Meyer personality test before and I had been categorized as an ENFJ. Truthfully, the only section that I consistently tested the same in all tests was as an extrovert. Everything else was very close to each other and could really go either way. So I decided to read out the personality descriptions of the three personalities I just mentioned to two close friends and asked them to choose the one they thought best described me. They both agreed that the ENFJ sound more like, which I agree with. Therefore, I have determined to have an ENFJ personality. 

As an ENFJ, I am someone that wants to help people succeed and my goal is to help improve myself, the people around me, and my community. This is one of the reason why I want to be a teacher in the first place. As a teacher I will have the ability to encourage, motivate, and assist students on a daily basis to become good citizens and to give it their best to succeed. I want students to pursue their dreams and to better themselves in order for our communities and the world to improve as a whole.

My teaching style survey revealed that I have a high tendency to teach as a formal authority and a delegator. I have a moderate tendency to teach as an expert, personal model, and facilitator. This does not come as a surprise to me because as a substitute teacher I have noticed that I sometimes have a difficult time moving forward with the class if I do not feel like all the students are paying attention to me. It is an area, I believe, that is not necessarily helpful and I need to find the balance between maintaining my authority in the classroom and becoming a drill sergeant. Becoming a drill sergeant, in my short experience, is not very effective in the classroom in terms of learning.

My learning style survey yielded the following results:

• moderate preference for reflective learning
• moderate preference for sensing
• very strong preference for visual learning
• fairly balanced between sequential and global learning

As an aspiring history teacher, I believe the visual learning is very important and will help students better learn all the facts involved in a history class. Students should get as close as possible to experiencing the historical events they are being taught. This can be through videos, field trips, or student projects that emerges them into what they are studying. Additionally, it is very important to me that students apply their historical knowledge to the real world when being active citizens because history has very real implications to the current and future status of the world.